Does Your Hygienist Recommend $20/week?!

Three years ago my clinical assistant (for 12 years) left me to go to Hygiene School.
 
I actually wanted her to go ... she’ll be an asset to our profession, and, she is like a daughter to me.

She’s out now and working for a friend one day a week.

Recently she mentioned to a patient that they might benefit from a night guard/NTI appliance.  I guess he didn’t want to be upstaged by a lowly hygienist ... he shut her down.  Humiliated her in front of a patient.

Boy, did he screw up royally!! ... for 2 reasons.

1. In general, you will pay a HUGE price if you reprimand a staff member in front of a patient.
2. And next, THIS hygienist is no ordinary hygienist.  She has seen and assisted with major surgical procedures ... flap and osseous recontouring, open flap curettage, gingivectomies, and surgical correction for ischemic bone disease.  She knows what a 3 wall periodontal defect and diseased cortical plate looks like (she knows what healthy cortical plate looks like too).  She has assisted in full mouth reconstruction with inlays, onlays, crowns, and almost every clinical restorative procedure or protocol you can imagine.  Her radiographs are second to none!  And, she always studied her films and asked challenging questions about the anatomy and about my diagnosis.  

Boy, did he screw up royally!

She can recommend $20K a week in restorative procedures ... just from the patients in hygiene. 

What the hell is he doing?  Is he CRAZY?  You don’t kill the golden goose!

What are you doing with your hygienist?  Is she golden?  Maybe silver?

I’ll show you some education to raise the level of her career (along with your bottom line) and tell you about the ‘Dental Dance’ with your hygienist next week. 

Get your check book out ... I’m going to make you an offer that you can’t refuse. 

peace, Peter